What is the RAC Zone?

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What is the RAC Zone?

RESIDENTIAL APARTMENT COMMERCIAL ZONING

CREATING NEW WAYS TO LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY IN APARTMENT TOWER NEIGHBOURHOODS

WHY CHANGE?

Toronto’s mid-century Tower Neighbourhoods help give the region an urban form unique to North America, reflecting progressive ideas that were considered “smart growth” in postwar Canada. Yet while built with progressive ideas about density and suburban growth, they lack key features that many Toronto neighbourhoods take for granted: convenient and walkable access to local shops, services, amenities and the broader opportunities of neighbourhood life. In fact, these features are not only missing in many of Toronto’s tower neighbourhoods, they are prohibited by zoning laws designed for another age. As a result, many tower neighbourhoods, home to thousands, are struggling.

The new RAC Zoning changes this, bringing neighbourhood zoning into the 21st Century. This new zoning changes the rules in nearly 500 tower sites, allowing for food markets, shops, small businesses, classes, community services, cafés and other initiatives, setting the stage for communities, social innovators, service providers and the city to work together toward creating more complete, convenient and healthy communities across Toronto.

Community-led markets can respond to the specific needs and wants within a place.

London, England

Small businesse can activate tower grounds places for people to gather.

London, England

Tower communities can have fresh fruit and vegetables available within walking distance of peoples' homes.

Stockholm, Sweeden

How markets look, as they open within tower communities, is different around the world. However, access to fresh affordable food, close to home, allows it to become part of the rhythm of everyday life.

Halle Neustadt, Germany

Community meetings, fitness classes, dance lessons, after school programs and more, community centers provide a home for the shared life of a community.

Berlin, Germany

Idea Stores are London's unique take on community centers. As hubs for different activities they incorporate community programs, libraries as well as medical clinics. Their innovation is in how they break down geographicbarriers to make play, learning and services available in tower communities.

London, England

Small businesses, in the base of apartment towers, need to find unique ways to make themselves visible. In this example from Sydney a bold canopy marks the store front.

Sydney, Australia

Who doesn't love flowers?

Berlin, Germany

Very small to large, the size of a business within a tower community isn't prescribed. Markets in Melbourne include micro business that connect the spaces in-between apartment towers.

Melbourne, Australia

Additions to apartment towers can remake the ground level creating a human-scale streetscape.

Copenhagen, Denmark

A public square and raised commercial promenade create draws for people to visit a space. Either way, care for the public realm creates spaces for people to gather.

Halle Neustadt, Germany

Certain types of business, when integrated into tower communities, serve as meeting places.

Moscow, Russia

Daycares built in apartment tower communities service the community in the immediate vicinity.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Early childhood education can begin near the home. This tower community has a pre-school operating within it.

Rotterdam, Netherlands

A new town planned and built in the 1950's, Vallingby, organized apartment towers around a public transportation hub creating a working-dwelling centrer.

Vallingby, Sweden

East Scarborough Storefront's, sports court, challenges ideas about what a space to play can be. It takes one hardscaped area and makes it available for pickup basketball, soccer, tennis, field hockey and lacrosse.

Toronto, Canada

Success Stories

Success Stories

The RAC Zone bylaw change allows for a wider range of uses

The RAC Zone bylaw change allows for a wider range of uses in and around apartment buildings creating opportunities for more complete, convenient and healthy communities. These new uses include a wide range of businesses, social supports and neighbourhood resources. Explore the stories to see how change is already happening in our city!

RAC Rules

RAC Rules

key features of the bylaw for consideration when planning your project

1.

RAC Zone projects can be located on the ground floor of apartment towers or on their grounds

2.

The maximum size of all indoor mixed uses is 1/2 of that of the tower's ground floor

3.

Outdoor uses’ combined area can equal a maximum of half of the the total ground floor

4.

A single business can use a maximum of 200m2

5.

Non-commercial uses can use a maximum of 600m2

e.g. a library or community centre

6.

Additions can equal the size of the project inside the building

RAC Zoning allows for a wide range of variation—here are some other examples:

2 x 100m2

1 x 400m2

What's Possible

What's Possible

Here Are Just some of the Many Services and Businesses that can operate in RAC Zones

The following list of services and businesses can operate in RAC Zones:

Art gallery

Artist studio

ATM / Bank

Member’s club

Cogeneration

Community centre

Crisis care shelter

Custom workshop

Day nursery

Education uses

Financial institution

Group home

Home occupation

Library *

Market garden

Medical office

Municipal shelter

Nursing home

Office

Outdoor sales*

Performing arts studio

Personal service shop

Pet services

Place of worship

Production studio

Private home daycare

Public utility

Recreation uses

Religious

Renewable energy

Residential care

Respite care facility

Restaurant *

Retail store *

Retail service

Retirement home

Rooming house

Secondary suite

Seniors community

Service shop

Take-out eating*

Transportation use

Veterinary hospital

*highlighted examples are illustrated above

GET INVOLVED!

GET INVOLVED!

Want to get started?

Clearly, exciting opportunities lie ahead. But the new RAC zone is just the first step.The next step is to act on it – to make the potential a reality.

The goal of the RAC Zoning change is a long term one, in which Tower Neighbourhoods become complete communities for their current residents. A complete community is one in which people can live, work, and play where they live. In other words, they are communities that meet peoples' needs and aspirations—places where ideas can come to life.

Realizing this change will require new partnerships between residents, tower owners, social enterprises, not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, and the city. This bylaw creates room for new opportunities—it's time to take action and see what's possible!

RESIDENTS

Knock on your landlords’ doors. Tell them about the new RAC zone.

Ask for landlords’ help.

Form a residents’ association and think big.

Share your ideas and your enthusiasm!

MANAGERS

Provide space for residents to get creative.

Invite tenants and outside businesses to propose ideas.

Learn the new zoning details and lead new initiatives.

Renovate the old and develop the new.

ENTREPRENEURS

Look for opportunities – identify your neighbours’ needs.

Discover a big range of business training and support offered by government, non-profits, and financial institutions.

Start or join a Business Improvement Association.

ELECTED OFFICIALS

Make Tower Renewal a priority.

Promote the RAC zone to your constituents.

Lead the way with inspiring ideas for new initiatives.

Facilitate the process; liaise with City Hall to make ideas happen on the ground.

CITY HALL

Streamline permits and other processes for faster concept- to-completion times.

Communicate the RAC zone and related policy for improved accessibility.

Create a “one-stop-shop” for Tower Neighbourhood Renewal.

ORGANIZATIONS

Set up in lobbies and other spaces.

Bring your service to the people who need it.

Partner with other organizations to inspire real action.

Advocate for healthy, lively communities.

Create new programs with the RAC zone in mind.

rethinking zoning

rethinking zoning

Implementing the RAC Zone

The RAC Zone came into being through a long term collaboration between a group of partners including the Centre for Urban Growth and Renewal, United Way Toronto & York Region, Toronto Public Health and the City of Toronto. Together they worked to rethink the historic zoning and replace it with a new, more flexible framework linked to the aspirations of residents, and the broader goals of Tower Renewal. Following several years of research, consultation, policy design and approval processes, the RAC zone is now a reality. Tower Neighbourhoods across the city can now begin the process of incremental change toward more integrated, vibrant, and diverse community hubs.

It’s time to get started!

Project Development Partners

Project Sponsors

Special thanks to the City of Toronto Zoning Team and Tower Renewal Office formaking recommendations for the RAC zone a reality!